On October 1, the Japan Football Association (JFA) released a heavy news: in order to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, they are actively considering allowing the Japanese national team to join the UEFA tournament, which is organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). This strategic move is not unique to Japanese soccer, as neighboring Qatar is also eager to try.
Why does the Japanese team hold frequent warm-up matches in Europe? There is a simple logic behind this: more than two-thirds of the players in the Japanese team play for European clubs. With the increase in the number of these overseas players, the Japanese team has more and more frequent exchanges with European teams.
The Japanese team has shown that they are a top Asian team in warm-up matches against strong European and American teams. For example, they beat the United States 2-0 with a full-strength lineup in two warm-up matches at the end of September. In addition, they are widely recognized for their subtle style of soccer and dislike of rough physical confrontation.
There has been no official word confirming whether the Japanese team will indeed establish a European training base in Düsseldorf, Germany, and compete in the UEFA competition. However, such a vision is not unique to the Japanese Football Association. Asian soccer's top six have played most of their warm-up matches this year against strong teams from Europe, the Americas and Africa. During the international matchday cycle in September, their opponents even cover the World Cup teams.
Qatar officially qualified for the UEFA Europa League qualifiers in March 2021, and although their results won't affect qualification, the quality of Qatar's warm-ups is evident in the fact that they can play with strong teams like Portugal and Serbia. I believe the Qatar team will cherish the opportunity to play in tournaments like the UEFA Nations League and Europa League if they have the chance to do so.
For our fans, our national team has not been able to arrange training since the end of the Qatar World Qualification Tournament in March this year. From the perspective of preparation, the gap between our team and the opponents participating in the next Asian Cup is gradually widening.
